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<DIV>BRIDGES Trade BioRes, Vol. 3 No. 20 14 November,
2003<BR></DIV>
<DIV>------------------------------------------------------------------------<BR>Intellectual
Property
Rights<BR>------------------------------------------------------------------------<BR><BR><BR>FACILITATING
ACCESS AND BENEFIT-SHARING AMONG USERS OF GENETIC RESOURCES<BR><BR>At the
initiative of the United Nations University's Institute for<BR>Advanced Studies
and the Institut du Développement Durable et des<BR>Relations
Internationales (IDDRI), government officials and experts met<BR>on 6-7
November in Paris, France, to discuss ways of implementing access<BR>and
benefit-sharing (ABS) objectives of the Convention on Biological<BR>Diversity
(CBD) among users of genetic resources, particularly developed<BR>countries and
the private sector. <BR><BR><BR>International ABS governance<BR><BR>Participants
noted that there already exists an extensive body of hard<BR>and soft law
instruments, which together constitute the existing system<BR>of international
ABS governance. These include the CBD, the CBD's Bonn<BR>Guidelines on ABS for
genetic resources, intellectual property, human<BR>rights and health and
phytosanitary instruments, as well as national and<BR>regional ABS and
intellectual property regulations. Many participants<BR>highlighted the need for
developing measures to ensure compliance with<BR>existing ABS obligations under
the CBD, in particular with relation to<BR>technology transfer to providers of
genetic resources. Participants also<BR>recognised the need for complementarity
between 'user' and 'provider'<BR>measures to encourage countries where the
genetic resources are located<BR>-- usually in the developing world -- to
facilitate access to their<BR>resources while ensuring that users observe their
ABS obligations. <BR><BR><BR>Disclosure of origin<BR><BR>Requiring the
disclosure of origin of genetic resources in patent<BR>applications was one of
the possible user measures discussed -- a<BR>measure that has attracted
increasing support at the WTO and the World<BR>Intellectual Property
Organization (WIPO) from a range of developing<BR>countries and, more
cautiously, from the EC and Switzerland (see BRIDGES<BR>Trade BioRes, 13 June
2003,<BR>http://www.ictsd.org/biores/03-06-13/story1.htm). Many
participants<BR>welcomed the Swiss proposal to the WTO, which suggested an
amendment to<BR>WIPO's Patent Cooperation Treaty that would enable countries
to<BR>implement a disclosure requirement for the source of both
genetic<BR>resources and traditional knowledge. It was noted that the
Swiss<BR>proposal would not require compulsory disclosure of origin or
of<BR>evidence of prior informed consent and the limitations of such
a<BR>voluntary approach was also debated. Several questions arose during
the<BR>discussion regarding the practicality of such a disclosure
requirement,<BR>including its legal status (voluntary or mandatory), the
appropriate<BR>legal instrument, how to determine the "origin" of a genetic
resource,<BR>and consequences of non-compliance. Some noted that the answers to
these<BR>questions would depend on the objective behind disclosure, which
could<BR>include information provision, legal certainty or compliance with
the<BR>CBD's ABS objectives.<BR><BR>Participants also considered the relative
merits of a system of<BR>'certificates of origin' and discussed whether such a
system should<BR>focus on the origin, source or legal provenance of genetic
material. It<BR>was recognised that further investigation of the practicality
and<BR>feasibility of such a system would require investigation of its
utility<BR>in different industry sectors.<BR><BR>In the EU, Directive 98/44/EC
on the legal protection of biological<BR>inventions encourages member states to
require patent applicants to<BR>include information on the geographical origin
of biological material<BR>(Recital 27). However, only Denmark has so far
implemented this<BR>requirement, with Germany, Sweden, Belgium, Portugal,
Switzerland and<BR>Norway in the process of setting up their regulations. The
Norwegian<BR>proposal goes one step further by also requiring the provider
country to<BR>be specified (if it is different from the country of origin)
and<BR>evidence of prior informed consent. The country is also in the
process<BR>of developing rules to govern the access to genetic resources in
Norway.<BR><BR><BR>Other user measures: Technology transfer, access to
justice<BR><BR>Participants stressed the need to broaden the debate around
user<BR>measures beyond disclosure requirements, in particular for
genetic<BR>resources that would not be covered by intellectual property
rights.<BR>Other possible measures comprise the transfer of technology,
including<BR>through non-market mechanisms, such as the movement of
persons,<BR>imitations and spill-overs of activities of foreign
companies.<BR>Participants stressed the importance of broader policies and
the<BR>appropriate enabling environment to support technology
transfer,<BR>including incentives for users of genetic resources to transfer
the<BR>technology, measures to support the commercialisation of research
in<BR>developing countries, and market access opportunities for the
recipients<BR>of the technology. Participants noted the absence of guidelines
on<BR>technology transfer in the Bonn Guidelines and some suggested that
such<BR>guidelines might prove a useful tool in particular for
enhancing<BR>compliance with the technology transfer obligations of the CBD set
out<BR>in Articles 16(3) and 19(1). <BR><BR>Participants also raised the as yet
little discussed issue of access to<BR>justice (i.e. the ability to seek redress
in the event of infringement<BR>of ABS obligations). One speaker noted the need
for a comprehensive<BR>approach, which covered access to information,
opportunity for<BR>participation, capacity building and access to legal redress.
Possible<BR>measures discussed included arbitration -- possibly within the
CBD<BR>context -- or the designation of an ombudsman to investigate
potential<BR>infringements.<BR><BR><BR>Additional resources<BR><BR>User
Measures: Options for Developing Measures in User Countries to<BR>implement the
access and Benefit-Sharing Provisions of the Convention on<BR>Biological
Diversity,
UNU-IAS.<BR>http://www.ias.unu.edu/binaries/UNUIAS_UserMeasuresReport.pdf<BR><BR>For
further information on the UNU-IAS project on ABS,
see<BR>http://www.ias.unu.edu/binaries2/UNU_ABSbrochure.pdf.<BR><BR>Directive
98/44/EC:
<BR>http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/pri/en/oj/dat/1998/l_213/l_21319980730en001<BR>30021.pdf<BR><BR>ICTSD
reporting.<BR></DIV>
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<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Other Forthcoming Events<BR><BR>1- 4 December, Berlin, Germany: MEETING ON
THE SUSTAINABLE USE AND<BR>CONSERVATION OF BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY: A CHALLENGE FOR
SOCIETY. Organised<BR>by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research.
At national<BR>and international levels, no strategies exist that help resolve
the<BR>conflict between conserving biological diversity and,
simultaneously,<BR>using diversity in a sustainable manner. The symposium is
intended to<BR>intensify the dialog between decision makers, users and
scientists, and<BR>to foster national and international research cooperation on
these<BR>issues. For further information, contact: the Ministry, tel: (+49
22)<BR>8819-9611; fax: 8819-9640; email: meltem.cosar@dir.de;
Internet:<BR>http://www.biodiversity-symposium.de.<BR><BR>4-5 December,
Brussels, Belgium: RISK PERCEPTION: SCIENCE, PUBLIC DEBATE<BR>AND POLICY MAKING.
Organised by the European Commission. Building on<BR>previous European
Commission conferences on risk management and European<BR>governance the event
incorporates a stakeholder forum on risk perception<BR>looking at genetically
modified (GM) crops and GM food. The conference<BR>will focus both on
understanding the process of risk perception and on<BR>practical ways in which
governance can be improved and the public’s<BR>trust in science based regulation
can be increased. For further<BR>information, contact: tel: (+32 2) 344-6232;
fax: (+32 2) 344-7564;<BR>email: Risk-perception@jk-events.com; Internet:<BR><A
href="http://europa.eu.int/comm/food/risk_perception/index.htm">http://europa.eu.int/comm/food/risk_perception/index.htm</A><BR></DIV>
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<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2>Resources</FONT></DIV><FONT
face="Comic Sans MS" size=2>
<DIV><BR><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>PLANT VARIETY PROTECTION AND
FARMERS' RIGHTS IN INDIA - TOWARDS A<BR>BROADER UNDERSTANDING. By P. Cullet and
R. Kolluru. Published by the<BR>International Environmental Law Research Centre,
2003. This article<BR>looks at some of the reasons for the introduction of PVP,
in particular<BR>the links between PVP and food security. The authors survey
the<BR>measures, which have been proposed internationally and examine
the<BR>regime in India. The article argues that the new regime in India
has<BR>been driven by it's desire to satisfy international obligations
under<BR>TRIPS and has neglected measures, particularly farmers rights,
of<BR>increasing importance to food security. For further information,
see:<BR><A
href="http://www.ielrc.org/Content/A03041P.pdf">http://www.ielrc.org/Content/A03041P.pdf</A>
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV>IN SEARCH OF BIOSECURITY: CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT ON ACCESS TO
GENETIC<BR>RESOURCES, BENEFIT-SHARING, AND BIOSAFETY IN CENTRAL ASIA AND
MONGOLIA.<BR>By United Nations University and the Institute of Advanced
Studies,<BR>2003. This report is based on the proceedings and findings of
a<BR>workshop". In Search of Biosecurity: Capacity Development on Access
to<BR>Genetic Resources, Benefit-Sharing, and Biosafety in Central Asia
and<BR>Mongolia", held by UNU/IAS, June 2002. It contains a regional
and<BR>national overview of the state of biodiversity in Central Asia
and<BR>Mongolia and its importance to sustainable development and the
principal<BR>pressures on genetic and biological resources in the region,
namely<BR>fragile arid and semi-arid ecosystems, limited resources and
economic<BR>development, and the international context and multilateral
instruments<BR>relevant to these issues. For further information,
see:<BR>http://www.ias.unu.edu/binaries/UNUIAS_CentralAsiaReport.pdf<BR><BR>WWF'S
PRELIMINARY RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE EU FOLLOWING THE FAILURE OF THE<BR>FIFTH WTO
MINISTERIAL. By WWF and the Centre for International<BR>Environmental Law,
October 2003. This discussion paper flags impacts of<BR>potential WTO GATS
negotiations and subsequent negotiated rules on water<BR>resources and the
environment, and offers recommendations on how<BR>problematic areas can possibly
be avoided and mitigated. The paper can<BR>be accessed
at:<BR>http://www.panda.org/downloads/policy/wwfrecommendationstoeuontrade.pdf,<BR>or
obtained in hard copy by sending an e-mail to: <A
href="mailto:sgranger@wwfint.org">sgranger@wwfint.org</A>. <BR></DIV>
<DIV>REGIONALISM AND THE MULTILATERAL TRADING SYSTEM. By the Organisation
for<BR>Economic Co-operation and Development, 2003. This study examines
how<BR>regional trade agreements are undermining and/or contributing to
global<BR>trade agreements governed by the World Trade Organisation. The
chapter<BR>on intellectual property argues that the TRIPS-plus deals supported
by<BR>Washington, Brussels and other economic powers are not only
multiplying,<BR>but they are seen to be setting new international IPR standards.
For<BR>further information
see:<BR>http://www1.oecd.org/publications/e-book/2203031E.PDF.
<BR><BR>ENVIRONMETAL AND SOCIAL STANDARDS IN EXPORT CREDIT. By Ecologic.
This<BR>study focuses on the incorporation of environmental and social
standards<BR>into export credit agencies' lending practices. Commissioned by
the<BR>Deutsche Gesellschaft für technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ), it
surveys<BR>the environmental guidelines of eight OECD member states' export
credit<BR>agencies. Special emphasis was given to the support of large dams;
in<BR>this context, the study evaluates to what extent the
recommendations<BR>made by the World Commission on Dams were reflected in the
environmental<BR>and social guidelines. The study concludes with a series of
suggestions<BR>as to how the WCD recommendations can be better integrated into
the<BR>lending practices of ECAs. The study is available
at:<BR>http://www.ecologic.de/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=829.
<BR><BR></DIV></FONT>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS"
size=2>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<BR>"Wir brauchen keine
Bio-Terroristen, wenn wir Gentechniker haben."<BR>Independent Science Panel (<A
href="http://www.indsp.org">www.indsp.org</A>)</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>